The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus and an image forming method, both of which execute print on a recording medium.
Conventionally, as an image forming apparatus that executes print on a recording medium, a printer has been known, which includes: a print queue that stores print jobs on a page basis; and a CPU that writes print jobs into the print queue, and executes print on a paper sheet, based on a page being sequentially read from the print queue. In a case in which a print job other than a print job of currently executed printing is cancelled from among the print jobs stored in the print queue, the CPU suspends execution of the print.
The print queue is a storage area for smoothly executing print. Therefore, the maximum number of pages that can be stored into the print queue (hereinafter referred to as “maximum number of storable pages”) is preferably larger than the number of sheets of recording media that can be concurrently conveyed in an image forming apparatus. Here, the number of sheets of recording media that can be concurrently conveyed in the image forming apparatus is determined depending on the length of the conveyance path of the recording medium in the image forming apparatus. More specifically, the optimum maximum number of storable pages is determined depending on the length of the conveyance path of the recording medium in the image forming apparatus.
Here, in a case in which extension devices are connected to the image forming apparatus, the length of the conveyance path of the recording medium is increased. The extension devices include an external medium feed unit that supplies a recording medium to the image forming apparatus, and a post processing unit that executes post processing such as sorting and stapling of the recording medium printed by the image forming apparatus.
Accordingly, in general, the maximum number of storable pages is fixed to an optimum number for each type of image forming apparatus, depending on the length of the conveyance path of the recording medium in the image forming apparatus (more specifically, the maximum length of the conveyance path of the recording medium in the image forming apparatus) in a state where all extension devices affecting the length of the conveyance path of the recording medium are connected thereto.
As described above, in a case in which a print job other than a print job of currently executed printing is cancelled from among the print jobs stored in the print queue, the conventional image forming apparatus suspends execution of the print. Here, as the maximum number of storable pages is increased, the number of print jobs stored in the print queue is likely to be increased. Therefore, in the conventional image forming apparatus, as the maximum number of storable pages is increased, execution of print is more likely to be suspended due to cancellation of a print job other than a print job of currently executed printing. More specifically, in the conventional image forming apparatus, it is preferable for the maximum number of storable pages to be not larger than necessary, in order to reduce the possibility of suspension of print due to cancellation of a print job other than a print job of currently executed printing.
However, in the conventional image forming apparatus, the maximum number of storable pages is fixed depending on the length of the conveyance path of the recording medium (more specifically, the maximum length of the conveyance path of the recording medium in the image forming apparatus) in a state where the extension devices affecting the length of the conveyance path of the recording medium are connected thereto. This results in a problem that the maximum number of storable pages is too large, in a case in which no extension devices affecting the length of the conveyance path of the recording medium are connected thereto.